Freedom
by Phoenix McGarrett
Summary: I'm that girl you see at the park, swinging and watching the sky. That girl that nobody ever plays with because they think she's different. Well, just so you know, I am. And more important than you could ever imagine. Oh, and I might have saved the world a few times. This is my story. Alternate Universe. First in the Skywalker Trilogy.
1. A Little Slave Girl

Chapter 1

Phoenix's POV

I watched as the monster loomed closer, its eyes looking at me hungrily. I had no weapon. No means of fighting it off. It showed no mercy, and it delivered the final blow. . .

Sorry. I'm getting way ahead of myself. My name is Phoenix Anakin Skywalker. Well, at least that's what I call myself. I don't know what my real last name is. Have you heard of me? Probably not. But that's why I'm writing this. So you can learn the truth about me and Olympus's saviors. I guess I'd better start at the very beginning, when I was eleven (And a half!) years old.

"Phoenix! Clean this up right away!"

I winced as I got up after sitting down for the first time all day. I knew better than to argue with Master, but sometimes, I really wanted to. Kneeling in the kitchen, I started to clean up the plate that had shattered. My fingers no longer cut as soon as they touched the sharp edges. They had grown strong; resistant, really, like my immune system. I can't remember the last time I got sick.

Unfortunately, the horrible man himself had to come and tell me of more chores. Figures. He was big, short, and looked like his wife had dragged him off of the streets and put him in a suit. Long ago, I nicknamed him Porky. Of course, if I said it to his face, he would beat me for it, but a girl like me could imagine, right? Just like I imagine my freedom.

You see, I'm a slave. From what I know about the outside world (which isn't much) that's illegal. But it's the truth. I've been here for as long as I could remember, the wife teaching me everything she knew about reading, writing, and doing math (she had to keep up pretenses that I was her homeschooled adoptive daughter) which is why I'm super smart. And ever since I got here, I've only dreamt of my escape. I didn't realize how close that actually was.

It all started with this incident. I was cleaning up the plate shards when Porky came in. "Clean the dishes, vacuum, sweep, and make yourself look like you are our daughter. A friend is coming over tonight." He smelt downright gross, but I didn't want to argue. I knew better. But right then, I felt super angry. I don't know why, I just did. The next thing I knew, Porky was on the ground, holding his hand and screaming words I'm pretty sure should never be written.

"Chores! Now!" he managed. I had never seen him that mad.

I got up and left before he could do something else. Like, hit me. Or worse. I shuddered as I ran to the closet where the vacuum was. From that moment on, I was known as a freak. He swears he saw electricity, like a lightning bolt, jump from me to him, although I have no idea what he was talking about.

Anyways, I did all the chores before going up to my room to make myself look nice. That was kind of hard, but I tried. The end result was this: long blonde hair pulled back in a braid that snaked past my shoulder blades with bangs that didn't quite fit in, nice shirt and jeans, and my electric blue eyes doing their best to look childish.

I went downstairs for the usual inspection. The wife came over to me and looked me over critically as I reached the bottom step.

"It'll do. Now. I set a Gameboy by the fire. Go play on it, and, most importantly, act your age."

I nodded, liking this idea. So I went over and sat on the hard wooden floor. I'm not allowed to sit on any of the furniture unless I have permission for the night, so I just grabbed the Gameboy and started playing random games on it. I figured them out pretty quickly, but I was getting bored by it pretty fast.

Someone knocked on the front door. Master gave me a warning glance before opening the door and smiling at the visitors. They looked nice enough. They were probably in their thirties, the woman with brown hair and eyes, the man with brown hair and green eyes. The man looked more like the usual guest, more business man looking than the woman. She looked more like . . . Nah. That couldn't be. Still, I eavesdropped on their conversation.

The woman held up a badge. "I'm Detective Kate Beckett, and this is my partner Richard Castle. May I come in?"

My heart skipped a beat. Police? What did she want? Was she here for me?

"I suppose. I have some guests coming over soon though."

"That's alright. This shouldn't take long." she replied, stepping through the door.

When the man looked at me as soon as he crossed the threshold, I knew something was up. "We're here about Phoenix." he said.

The master laughed, but if you listened closely, you could hear his nervousness. "What do you need my daughter for?"

"I'm working on a murder that happened a few blocks down, and I want to question her." Kate replied.

Oh. I felt my hopes fall.

"I don't know. . ." he trailed off. His wife was in the kitchen, probably subtly hiding evidence.

"It'll be fine sir." she persisted.

Master gave in, and they took me to a nearby park where we couldn't be overheard by my 'family'. I was tense the whole way there. Finally, we reached our destination. They lead me over to a bench and sat down.

"Phoenix. I want you to tell us the truth. Are those your parents?" Detective Beckett asked gently.

My head snapped up to look at the man. I realized that the murder was a fib. They knew about me. I trembled slightly, looking down and fidgeting.

"Phoenix, look at me." I did. "If you just tell us the truth, they won't do any of this again!"

I thought it over. They could help me a lot. Or they might not find enough evidence and end up giving up. I decided to trust them, but as I opened my mouth, Porky came storming over to us; I could tell that he had followed us here and read their lips to see what was really up.

"I'm leaving now, and my daughter is coming with me." There was indecision in his eyes for only a second as he reached out his had to grab me, undoubtedly thinking about earlier.

I unconsciously winced as he was about to grab my hand.

"No, sir. You are not. Phoenix is coming with us."

I gazed at the man named Castle, as he told me to call him, in hope.

"She's coming with us. With the way she acted when you were about to touch her, and the way she doesn't act her age, I know the rumors are true. We have complete jurisdiction to take her for tonight, and if we feel like we can, bring her back tomorrow."

The master scowled. "Fine. Just let me say goodbye to my daughter. In private."

They stepped away and headed back to the car. As soon as they were out of hearing distance, he looked straight at me with a threatening finger in my face. He squeezed my arm so hard, circulation was starting to stop. There would be know bruises though; I had long ago became resilient to that too. "You say a word about your life, you're dead."

I nodded, knowing that he would do just that. In a very painful way, most likely.

"Go."

It took every bone in my body not to run to the car that might give me my freedom. I slid in the back seat and put on a seatbelt, waiting for them to pull away.

"Did he just threaten you?" Castle asked, both of them turning around.

I knew that I shouldn't but I nodded. I didn't think he was going to let it go; luckily he just motioned for Beckett to pull away. For a second, I thought she was going to go back right then to kill him. Then she started driving away, hands clenching the steering wheel. She drove to his house in silence.

Once there, and I was seated comfortably on a couch, Beckett spoke once again. "What's your real name?"

I decided to take a chance. "Phoenix. I don't know my last name."

"Where are you from?"

Wincing, I said, "I don't remember."

She gave me a sympathetic look. "You were kidnapped?"

I shook my head. At her quizzical look, I told her, "I'm a slave."

Shock was written on both of their faces. At that moment, everything came flowing out. "I don't know much about who I am, only that my birthday is on June 27, 1994, and I'm eleven years old. (A/N: The first PJAO book is published in 2005. I'm going by that. Just keep in mind that she's a few months younger than Percy. So, for example, if she is twelve, Percy is twelve and almost thirteen.) I was taken away from my mom when I was 2 years old. That's all I know."

For a moment, they just stared at me, and I thought that they wouldn't believe me. Then Beckett snapped out of it. "Did he . . . buy you? Would it be on record?"

I nodded. "He claims that's when he got a knee transplant, but that's not true. I sneaked a glance in a locked cabinet once when I was in his office cleaning."

Castle grinned at me. "You're pretty smart for an eleven year old."

"Thanks."

Beckett smiled softly at me. "Phoenix, if we asked you to go back there, would you?"

I froze. They actually didn't believe me. I nodded sadly. She must've caught on to what I was thinking, because she smiled reassuringly.

"I want you to spend tonight there, then grab every personal item you own and come back here."

I nodded, and they took me back to the master's house. He must've canceled the dinner with his friends, although he still yelled at me for being a horrible slave. And then he did the weirdest thing. He freed me, but before he did, he told me that I would only do so if I didn't go to Castle or Beckett. At that moment I was so happy that I agreed to never speak to them again. I didn't realize that it was practically a death sentence.


	2. I Make Some Friends and Blow up a Bus

Chapter 2

Phoenix Skywalker's POV

I left that night. I didn't realize that the men on the streets weren't nice. And that no money was really bad for anyone, kid or adult.

The first thing I did when I left was try to find a place to stay. I ended up in a tree in Central Park that night. And every night afterwards, now that I think of it. I would look for food in the day, sleep at night, and watch out for gangsters every moment in between.

It was one night a couple of weeks later that everything went from bad to worse. I was walking towards Central Park when I was pulled into a dark alley by a gangster.

"Looky here. A blonde." he said, alcohol clear in his breath.

About five others melted out of the shadows, grinning evilly. The one who took me pushed me down in the middle of their circle. I hit it hard, and I almost sprained my wrist. It throbbed.

I closed my eyes in fear, tears rolling down my face. I waited for the first hit. But nothing happened. I opened my eyes to see a single man there, dressed in a suit. He had dark hair, with an aura of power around him. Any sign of the gangsters were gone. He knelt down beside me, gently brushing a stray strand of blonde hair out of my eyes.

"Are you okay?"

I nodded and stood up, wiping away the tears hurridly. I hate to look weak. "Who are you?"

He smiled mysteriously. "A friend." Then he handed me a bag full of food and money. "Take this. Head to this bus stop." He rattled off an address. "There will be three kids on it. They can help you, and will lead you to somewhere safe. Eventually."

"Eventually?"

"Don't worry. They'll take you there. Sleep in your tree tonight, and head to the stop tomorrow. I promise you'll be safe."

I nodded and gave him a watery smile. "Thank you."

The mystery man returned the grin. "You're welcome. Now go." And with that, he turned on his heel and disappeared into the crowded streets of New York.

I ran all the way back to my tree, and slept in excitement for the next day. I didn't even think about how he knew about my tree, or how he planned to keep me safe . . .

My eyes opened slowly, but surely. It looked to be around 7:00 AM, and it was - as always - bustling. The backpack was still under my head as I awoke, and I felt last night's excitement come rushing back. I jumped down and looked around for a taxi. I had never called one before, but I managed to get one.

"Address?"

I gave him it, and we were off. We did some small talk, but nothing huge happened, thankfully. When he dropped me off at a Greyhound station, I gave him his money. I wandered for a while, looking for the right bus. Then I saw them. Three kids my age waiting in line. I don't know why, but I knew they were the kids I was looking for.

The first was a boy with black hair and startling sea green eyes. Next was a girl with intelligent grey eyes and long blonde hair, although, it wasn't nearly as long as mine. She looked like she could take me down in seconds. Finally, there was a boy with curly brown hair and eyes, standing on some crutches.

I took a deep breath and made my way toward them shyly. The girl noticed me first, getting the other two's attention. I was soon standing in front of them. "Uh, hi."

They boy with green eyes smiled at me, although it looked a bit forced. His eyes darted around, never staying on one thing for long. "Hello. Did you need something?"

"Um, sort of. Last night, I was almost jumped by some bad men, but this other guy stopped them. He gave me this backpack and told me to go to this bus station and find three kids my age. He said they would bring me to a safe place."

The girl's eyes were calculating. "Grover?"

"She's strong. And one of us. She's telling the truth from what I can tell." The kid with curly hair, Grover apparently, said.

The girl turned to me, relaxing a bit. "What did this man look like?"

I thought back on it. "I don't know. It was really dark in the alley. I just remember him wearing a suit. Oh, and his hair was dark."

The girl paled a bit. "That sounds like . . ." she trailed off. Then she shook her head, as if to empty her thoughts. "Listen. We can't explain everything right now. We will as soon as we are alone. I would take you straight to camp, but our deadline is too close. You'll have to come with us."

The others looked surprised, yet agreed with her. I had no idea what she was talking about, but the others seemed to. She smiled at me again. "My name is Annabeth Chase. That's Percy Jackson," the boy with green eyes waved, "and that's Grover Underwood. What's your name?"

"Phoenix." I looked down, knowing they would ask.

Percy gave me a strange look and started to ask about my last name before Annabeth elbowed him. She understood.

"I don't know my last name."

Grover gave me a small yet apologetic smile. "That must suck."

Percy nodded in agreement. "I'm sorry."

"Its okay, you didn't know." I thought for a second. "Skywalker." They gave me questioning glances. "Call me Phoenix Skywalker." The Master had been a Star Wars fanatic, and Anakin Skywalker's name always stuck with me. From that day on, I called myself Phoenix Anakin Skywalker. It was the mark of a new life for me.

Percy came forward and shook my hand. "Nice to meet you, Phoenix. We're on our way to the West Coast. You can come with us, and we'll explain everything on the way."

I nodded, excited. I felt we were all going to be great friends, and it sounded like an adventure, something that I looked forward to. Life as a slave wasn't interesting, and something that I'd always wanted was love, friends, and fun.

The bus came rolling towards us, and we waited in line to board. Grover started sniffing the air as we waited, which I found odd for obvious reasons.

"What is it?" Percy asked, his eyes darting back and forth.

"I don't know. Maybe it's nothing." he replied tensely. That didn't seem to make the others feel better. I started to fidget as I waited, feeling nervous all of the sudden.

Finally we were on the bus. In the back were four seats that looked pretty comfortable, so that's where we sat. It was still raining, the drops pounding against the roof. Annabeth kept slapping her Yankees cap against her leg.

As the last of the passengers got on, Annabeth paled. "Percy."

Coming on board were three old ladies. They were old, withered, and seemingly harmless. But when they crossed their legs so no one could get out, my bad feeling got worse.

"She didn't stay dead long," Percy said, looking terrified. "I though you said they could be dispelled for a life time."

What? Dead? I was so confused.

Annabeth winced. "I said if you're lucky," she glared at him. "You're obviously not."

"All three of them," Grover whimpered. "Di immortales!"

I somehow understood what that meant, and that was the breaking point. "What are you guys talking about?"

They all looked at me. "Phoenix, let's just say it's really bad. They might want to kill us." Annabeth informed.

I shuddered. "Can we slip out a window or a back exit?"

Grover looked at the window. "Don't open and there is none." Not that it really mattered. We were already heading for a tunnel.

"They won't attack us with witnesses around," Percy asked. "Will they?"

"Mortals don't have good eyes." Annabeth said. "Their brains can only process what they see through the Mist."

"I'm lost again." I said.

"It's okay. You're just learning. Basically, all you need to know is those old ladies are not old ladies."

I gulped. Great. Just great. We entered the tunnel, and the three ladies announced to the whole bus they needed to use the restroom. Which meant they were coming towards us.

Annabeth looked to be thinking hard. "Percy, take my hat."

My eyebrow creased as I wondered what that would do. "What?" he said.

She told him her plan. He grudgingly put the hat on, and he disappeared. I gasped softly, wondering where he went.

Annabeth looked at me, hearing the surprised gasp. "Phoenix, you need to follow him to the front. Crawl under the seats until they pass you, then sit in one. Okay?"

I nodded, and started heading to the driver seat. Lucky for me, there were few people on this side of the bus, so I could crawl and not run into people's feet. I paused only when the old ladies passed me. My breath seemed so loud; I was sure that they would hear me. My heart beat faster until finally, the old ladies passed me without a second look. I bit back a sigh of relief as I sat on the seat I was at. The next thing I knew, wailing sounded from the back of the bus. I looked behind me and couldn't believe my eyes.

The old ladies weren't old ladies anymore. They were these hideous things, and they looked pretty ferocious to me. They were hissing something, but I couldn't make it out from here. Annabeth yelled something back at them, and they raised whips that looked like they would hurt. A lot. Annabeth drew a bronze knife (which drew a LOT of questions) while Grover had a tin can in his hand, ready to throw. Suddenly, the bus jerked to the left. I hit the window painfully, and I heard the things howl angrily. It lurched again to the right, and I realized Percy was probably the one doing it.

Eventually, the bus wailed to an angry stop in some trees. Everyone else filed out, but I stayed put. Suddenly, next to me the image rippled. Percy appeared. "Here. Wear this and don't move until we leave."

I slipped the cap on and watched as I turned invisible. Percy got the things' attentions, and he took out a regular pen. I wondered how that would help anyone when he uncapped it, and it turned into a beautiful sword. He joined the fight, and, now that I was invisible, I went back a few seats so I could hear what they were saying.

Percy hit one and it broke open, sand flying on the bus. Annabeth was on another's back, her blade at its throat. I watched as Percy hit another one. The one Annabeth was fighting was pushed into the aisle. That was when the last one got really mad.

"Zeus will destroy you!" she promised. "Hades will have your soul!"

What?

Thunder shook the bus, and Annabeth yelled for everyone to get out. I ran and waited as they climbed out. The passengers were freaking out, and one took a photo of Percy. Grover realized that our bags were still on the bus, but before we could get them . . .

BOOOOOM!

Lightning struck the bus, the last monster wailing from inside.

"Phoenix!" Annabeth called. She was scanning the crowd.

Percy pulled her arm. "She's invisible. Hopefully, she's following us."

"I am."

They jumped at my voice, but there was no time to give Annabeth her hat back. There was a hideous scream.

"Let's go, before reinforcements come." she said firmly.

And with that, we all ran into the woods across the road from us.


	3. A Sweet Old Lady Makes Me Some Food

Chapter 3

Phoenix's POV

We ran for a while, then it slowed to walking. At some point I handed the cap back to Annabeth, but we kept going. Finally, after the rain subsided and we were at least ten miles away, we sat down for a break.

We were all tired, broke, and soaking wet. Except, for some odd reason, Percy. He was completely dry.

"Now. I know you have a lot of questions," Annabeth started.

"Um, yeah I do! What _were_ those things?" I interrupted. Usually, I didn't ask questions; I was raised not to.

"Let me start at the very beginning. Greek gods exist." At my silence, she continued. "When gods get together with mortals, we are the result: demigods, or half-bloods if you prefer."

I motioned for her to continue. "The Demigods all have to go to Camp Half-Blood, so they can train and hone their powers."

That was when Percy came in. "Depending on who your parent is, you give off a scent. The stronger your godly parent is, the stronger your scent is. Monsters, like those things on the bus, come after us and try to kill us." I winced. That was not what I wanted to hear. "My friends and I are on a quest. My father, Poseidon, god of the sea," a cold breeze whipped leaves on the trees for a second, "a strong god, therefore, my aura is strong."

"My mother is Athena, goddess of wisdom. My aura is supposed to be weak, but is abnormally strong."

I turned to Grover, who, was strangely, taking off his shoes. They revealed hooves. My eyes widened. "I'm not a Demigod. I'm a satyr, half man, half goat. My job was to guard Perce and bring it to camp, but I didn't exactly go well. I was told if I go on this quest and got everyone home safely, I wouldn't get demoted."

There was silence as Grover put his shoes back on. They all turned to me, taking in my facial features.

"Oh." Percy rolled his eyes. "But it makes sense. Weird stuff has happened lately."

Then I explained my life, and how up until a few weeks ago, I was a slave. They all took it in stride, but when I mentioned the lightning incident, they froze. Grover bleated.

"Why do I have a feeling that's bad?"

Annabeth shook her head. "It's probably nothing. Just his imagination."

I went and told them the rest. "And here I am." But I still had questions. "Who is my godly parent then?"

"I don't know. But whoever saved you from that gang is a good guess." The daughter of Athena replied.

My head spun. That could have been my father?

Just then, we heard a noise in the woods. "Let's keep going." Annabeth suggested. Everyone agreed wholeheartedly. Grover and I led the way, with Annabeth and Percy talking quietly behind us, having some alone time. Grover took out some reeds a while later.

"Yes! They still work! Now if I only could remember the 'Find the Path' song."

I'm pretty sure I heard Percy groan, and a second later he ran straight into a tree.

I almost laughed, but I held it back at his warning glare. We tripped and stumbled, until, _finally_, we reached a building. There was a huge sign on it, but it was in neon cursive that I couldn't read. I couldn't read it, but held my tongue. I've never been able to read well. I liked to, but was horrible at it. When Percy and Annabeth had the same confused expression on their faces, I got the feeling that they had the same problem.

Annabeth noticed my embarrassed look. "You don't know?" she continued at my blank stare. "Every Demigod has dyslexia and ADHD. Dyslexia is where letters in words get mixed up, and ADHD is where you can't sit still."

"You just explained unknown answers that plagued me my whole life."

She gave me a grin.

"Grover?" Percy asked. He was still glaring at the sign.

"Aunty Em's Garden Gnome Emporium."

I saw two gnomes waving at the entrance, and I took it as an open invitation, along with Percy and Annabeth.

That's when it hit me. The smell. It was absolutely delicious. Right then, I didn't care if it wasn't safe, I just wanted some food.

"Hey . . ." Grover warned.

"The lights are on inside," Annabeth said. "Maybe it's open."

I really hoped it was. "Snack bar." Percy grinned.

"Snack bar." Annabeth and I chorused in agreement.

"Are you all crazy?" Grover asked. "This place is weird."

We ignored him, heading for the door. In the front lawn were lots of statues. One even looked like a satyr, who Grover swore was his Uncle Ferdinand.

We stopped at the warehouse door.

Grover pleaded with us not to open it, saying he smelled monsters.

"Your nose is clogged up from the Furies." Annabeth told him. "All I smell are burgers. Aren't you hungry?"

"Meat! I'm a vegetarian."

"Well, it's three against one Grover." And with that, I knocked.

It's weird. A few weeks ago, I'd never act like that. But now . . . I felt my true self come out. Earlier, I was just a shell. Now, was Phoenix Anakin Skywalker, not that nameless girl. A girl with friends and a purpose in life. Maybe it's because I made some actual friends. Or maybe because I now know someone out there loves me. At least, I think so. No. I hope so.

Anyways, the door cracked open, revealing a tall woman who wore all black. No part of her skin was exposed, except for her hands. She said, "Children, it is too late to be out late all alone. Where are your parents?"

Not the best question to answer, but Percy got it covered. "We're orphans."

"Orphans? But my dears! Surely not!"

Percy made up a story about a circus, but I wasn't listening. The smell wafting towards us was too strong. If not for the food, I would have known something was up. I mean, no one would buy that story. But, she let us in, telling us she was Aunty Em.

Annabeth gave Percy a hard time for his story, but I didn't join in. Truthfully the only thing going through my mind was _I must get food._

We didn't even notice her lock the doors, or the fact the statues' eyes followed our every move. We just noticed the smell increasing.

"Um," Grover said reluctantly, "we don't have any money, ma'am."

Cue in death glares to make him shut up.

"No, no, children. No money. This is a special case, yes? It is my treat, to such nice orphans."

"Thank you, ma'am." Annabeth said.

For a second, Aunty Em looked like she wanted to tear my friend's head off. Then she replied, "Quite alright, Annabeth. You have such beautiful gray eyes, child."

Only later did we wonder how she knew all of our names.

Everyone got their own tray, heaped with food, Percy pigging out. We ate quickly, with Grover looking absolutely nervous. He kept eyeing the wax paper.

Perce (he said I could call him that as we walked) made small talk with her after a while. Then his eyes went to a small statue of a girl. I couldn't believe how realistic it looked, but her face . . . her face was all wrong. She looked absolutely terrified.

Aunty Em told us the faces hardly ever turn out, and that she had two sisters at one time. I was starting to feel sleepy, along with Perce; I could tell. His head had started drooping the slightest bit.

Annabeth started to look real closely at Aunty Em though, like she was really seeing her for the first time. She shook both of our shoulders a minute later, telling us we need to go. Now. Aunty Em didn't look fazed as Grover started eating the wax paper.

I think that's when I knew something was wrong and snapped out of it. "Guys, I agree."

"Please, dears," Aunty Em pleaded. "I so rarely get to be with children. Before you go, won't you at least sit for a pose?"

"A pose?" Annabeth asked warily. I was just as nervous.

She claimed she wanted a photo of us for inspiration. Annabeth started fidgeting, along with me.

"Sorry, but we really need to go and meet the ringmaster." I panicked slightly, grabbing Percy's arm and tugging hard.

"Aww, come on guys. It's just a photo. What's the harm?" Clearly, he still hadn't snapped out of it. Annabeth sent him a very scary looking glare.

The next thing I knew, we were all positioned on a bench. She had no camera.

Grover glanced at a nearby statue, and said, "That sure does look like Uncle Ferdinand."

"I will just be a moment. You know, I can't see you very well in this cursed veil. . . ."

She still had no camera.

"Guys, something is wrong." Annabeth worried.

"Wrong?" she started to unravel the veil on her head. "Not at all, dear. I have such noble company tonight."

"That _is_ Uncle Ferdinand!" Grover gasped.

"Look away from her!" Annabeth shouted, pushing Percy and me off of the bench. She slapped on her cap and disappeared, while Grover yelled, "Maia!"

I immediately crawled, then ran away from her, realizing everything.

Aunty Em.

Aunty "M."

I wondered why I couldn't see it before as I thanked whoever was up there that one day the wife decided that I needed to learn all of the Greek gods and famous monsters. She was Medusa! A mirror was pressed into my palm, and Annabeth's voice told me to hide while she went to find Percy and Grover. I was about to argue when I remembered it. I had no weapon.

So I stayed right there. Of course, Medusa just _had_ to follow my scent. I was soon face to, err, mirror with her. She was downright ugly, her snakes hissing. "Ahh. This is a surprise. Very rare to have one like you here."

One like me? What's that supposed to mean?

Then she came towards me more. "Guys!" I screamed.

"Don't worry, Phoenix! We're coming!" Annabeth's voice sounded really far off, and I knew they'd never get here in time, even if Grover managed to fly straight here without bumping into anything. I had seen him take off into the air earlier. I'd have to ask him how he actually did it later.

I knew I had only one chance if I wanted to survive. It was hopeless. I knew it in my heart that it wouldn't happen. I wasn't strong enough. But I closed my eyes anyway, and imagined how the Master claimed he saw the lightning jump off of me to him.

I heard screaming, and I opened them. Medusa was screaming in pain and clutching her arm, with my friends looking at me incredulously a few feet away, just reaching me. Grover was frozen in midair. For some reason though, I felt drained. Like everything I had went into whatever that was. I fell over. That was when everyone unfroze.

Medusa recovered a few seconds later. "Curse you! For that, you will die!"

And then she lunged at me, but before she could hit me, Grover the Flying Ace hit her. Percy reached out to hit her with his sword, while Annabeth helped me to another random park bench. I felt like sleeping, but I managed to look through my mirror and watch. Grover was still flying around with a tree limb, hitting Medusa when he got the chance. Out of nowhere, she got him and threw him into a concrete statue. I tried to cry out to him, but nothing flowed out of my lips.

Percy faced her, ready to hurt her. I saw a cold fury in his eyes. It was weird.

"You wouldn't harm an old woman, Percy," she crooned. "I know you wouldn't."

I was horrified to see him pause.

"Percy, don't listen!" I managed to yell.

That snapped him out of it, and as she came forward to kill him, he slashed.

I heard the sound of the monster disintegrating, then a sickening thud. I almost looked with my own eyes. Then Annabeth said, "Nobody look." She ran and grabbed the veil, covering the severed head with it.

"Okay."

I was trembling, absolutely tired and spent. Percy looked to be in shock, along with Annabeth. Grover was groaning and standing up.

"Everyone alive?" he asked.

"I'm good." Annabeth confirmed.

"Yeah." Percy said.

"I feel like I was run over by a truck." I groaned.

They all turned to look at me, as if remembering I was there. "What?" I asked suspiciously.

Annabeth sighed. "I was hoping it was someone, not _him_."

"What are you talking about, Annabeth?"

"Did we tell you about The Oath earlier?"

I shook my head. Percy's eyes lit up, and he had the oh-I-get-it-now face. Then he paled.

"Phoenix, the big three gods made an unbreakable Oath. Zeus, Hades, and Poseidon agreed not to have any more children because they were too strong. Well since they are immortal and can't die, their kids have rotten luck. " She paused. "Well, as you know, Percy's father is Poseidon, god of the sea. Olympus is already upset because of it. What you just did proved who your father is." She waited for me to get it.

My mind was reeling. How did I not see it before!? Electricity jumping off of me. Hot temper, now that I know I'm a Demigod.

"I'm the daughter of Zeus. The sky god." I whispered.

They nodded. Annabeth winced. "Two big three kids on one quest with four people is really bad. We need to call Camp Half-Blood and have someone retrieve you. It's too dangerous. Come on. Percy, grab the head, and let's go to the warehouse. I saw some drachmas on a desk there."

When I stumbled, they helped me to the table we ate at and double wrapped the head with plastic bags. It was set in the middle, and for a second we just sat in silence.

"So we have Athena to thank for this monster?" Percy asked.

Annabeth scowled at him. "Your dad, actually. Don't you remember? Medusa was Poseidon's girlfriend. They decided to meet in my mother's temple. That's why Athena turned her into a monster. Medusa and her two sisters who had helped her get into the temple, they became the three gorgons. That's why Medusa wanted to slice me up, but she wanted to preserve you as a nice statue. She's still sweet on your dad. You probably reminded her of him."

I gagged. "Gross."

Percy nodded in agreement and said, "Oh, so now it's _my_ fault we met Medusa."

"It's just a photo, Annabeth. What's the harm?" she mocked.

The argument started to get heated. "Hey!" Grover interrupted. "You two are giving me a migraine, and satyrs don't even _get_ migraines."

I rubbed my temples. "Well, I can get a migraine, and I'm getting one. What are we doing with the head?" I changed the subject.

Percy gave an angry look at the head. He got up and came back with a box. I couldn't believe what he was about to do. But I encouraged him, unlike Grover and Annabeth. From what I heard, he has a major for ticking off the gods. It was gone a second later.

We still had a few coins left after the box had disappeared. Annabeth led us backwards to a creek where a rainbow shimmered, even though there was no sunlight. She grabbed a drachma from Percy.

"O goddess, accept our offering." She threw the coin in, which disappeared.

"Chiron, Half-Blood Hill."

A man appeared in the mist, and I took a step back. It was really life-like.

"Annabeth! How's it going?" Then his eyes went to me. "Hello, child. Who are you?"

I smiled, liking him already. "Phoenix Skywalker, sir."

"Hello Phoenix." He smiled at me, even though he seemed a little confused by my last name. "I'm Chiron."

Annabeth broke in. "Chiron, we have a bit of an issue."

"What is that, my dear?"

"Phoenix is the daughter of Zeus."

His eyes widened. "Well, that might be a problem. How'd you meet those three?" he asked me.

I explained everything (he looked troubled when I mentioned the Gangsters) and he listened carefully. He was more worried when I said I didn't even know my real last name.

"Normally, I would say someone has to come get you."

"Which is why we called you." I said.

"Yes. I thought as much. But your father obviously sent you there to help find his bolt. They told you of their quest, yes?" At my nod he continued. "He trusts you to keep Percy in line and make sure he isn't the culprit. These Demigods are some of my best. They can teach you to hone your powers, and I'll do my best to send some sort of weapon to you."

"Are you sure?" asked Annabeth.

He nodded, gave her some instructions, and signed off.

"Let's go find somewhere to stay." Grover looked a bit tired, and we all agreed with him.

Olympus

Zeus's POV

I put a hand through the mist I had been watching Phoenix fall asleep on. I knew tomorrow I would get yelled at by Poseidon, Hades, and, worse yet, my wife Hera. But tonight, I could sleep in peace knowing my daughter was safe and knew of her heritage. Apollo, possibly the only god that used to know, had seen great things from her. His Fates had agreed. I didn't need them to tell me that though; my children always did great things.

I felt a little bad for watching her while she talked with Chiron, but I wanted to make sure she was okay. She had drew some of her own powers willingly for the first time. I was worried she was hurt. As soon as I could, I sneaked out of the meeting I was in and checked up on her. Phoenix was just talking to Chiron, so I felt less tense. Yes. I could relax for tonight.

Well, after I did something first.


	4. I Face Death

Chapter 4

Phoenix's POV

We decided to camp out in the woods about 100 feet away from the highway after grabbing more supplies from Aunty M's office. Then we decided watching times. Everyone insisted that I just slept so I could regain energy, and although I disagreed, they won the argument. Percy was to take watch first, then Grover, then Annabeth. I fell asleep as soon as my head hit my sleeping bag, but my dreams were hardly peaceful. . .

I was standing in a room with clear floors and ceilings, and I could see all of New York. There was a big hammock in the middle, and to one side was a man. A very familiar one.

"You." I said.

"Well, hello to you to." It was the man that saved me. Now that it was lighter out, I could see him clearly. He had dark hair, like I thought, and blue eyes that blazed. I recognized those eyes. They were _my_ eyes, the ones that my master hated because it showed traces of my previous life.

He must of realized that I caught onto him, because he walked towards me some more. "Phoenix, I know you have lots of questions right now, and I know you're probably scared, but you have to hear me out, okay?"

"I'm not scared!" I scoffed. He took that as a yes.

"You know my identity now." It wasn't a question. I nodded, and he went on. "Okay, that's a start. You know that my Master Bolt was stolen."

"So . . ."

"So, as my daughter, I trust you to get it back from that boy. Perseus."

I felt anger course through my veins. "Percy is right! Can't you see that he doesn't have it?"

Zeus, my father, looked annoyed. "He just wants you to think that."

"No. There is no way he has it. We have nothing with us anymore! No bags, or clothes, or anything! Just the clothes on our backs!"

That seemed to surprise him. "What happened to the bag I gave you?"

"Didn't you see us get attacked by all three furies on the bus?" I said bitterly.

"No. I didn't. But," he replied, "I'm sure he still has it somewhere."

I decided to let it drop. "Whatever. Where are we?"

"You are sleeping in a forest. I am sleeping in my palace on Olympus."

"That didn't help me."

He rolled his eyes. "I knew I had to contact you without the others knowing, so I pulled you from your dreams and had your conscious meet mine in this room on Olympus."

"I think I liked the simplified version better." I commented.

He shrugged, then tensed up. "You have to go. Remember that I trust you to get the bolt."

"What? Why do I have to go?"

"We'll meet again soon." He paused, then absently added, "I promise. Oh, and take this." A hairpin with a lightning bolt was pressed into my hand. "Think of it as an early birthday present. Have that daughter of Athena help you learn how to use it." The room started to fade, the colors fading together.

And then I woke up. Annabeth was trying to wake up Percy, who looked a bit tense in his sleep. She turned to me when she heard the sleeping bag ripple. "Hey. Are you okay? You look frustrated."

"I'll tell you when Percy wakes up too."

After Annabeth told me to tell a pink poodle hello (I did, not wanting to anger her) I thought back on my dream. If you could call it that. I was angry. My father never bothered to drop by and say, "Hey, this is my daughter, now free her or I'll zap you." But now that he needed me to retrieve his stupid bolt, I was his top priority, visiting me in my dreams and saving my life when I was defenseless. I found myself scowling.

Percy finally awoke a few minutes later, looking troubled and groggy. Annabeth threw him a bag of chips and said, "Well, the zombie lives."

"Grover found a friend." I told him.

His eyes widened as he took in a pink poodle. It yapped suspiciously, and Grover said, "No, he's not."

Perce blinked. "Are you . . . talking to that thing?"

The poodle growled, and I smacked his arm just as Annabeth smacked his head. I knew we would get along great.

"This _thing_," Grover warned, "is our ticket west. Be nice to him."

"You can talk to animals?"

I rolled my eyes. "No. He's just saying all of this."

"Percy, meet Gladiola. Gladiola, Percy." Grover jumped in our conversation.

He looked from Annabeth, to me, and back to Annabeth.

"I'm not saying hello to a pink poodle," he said. "Forget it."

I glared at him.

"Percy," Annabeth said. "I said hello to the poodle. You say hello to the poodle."

He gave in at her murderous look. Grover explained to him how he'd come across Gladiola in the woods, who had run away from a rich local family. The reward was 250 dollars, which should be enough for all four of us to take the train. Gladiola didn't really want to go back to his family, but he was willing for Grover.

After a bit more conversation, we headed off.

We were on the train for two days without any attacks, but we were still jumpy. A newspaper article featured Percy at the bus when a tourist took his picture. It showed his sword swinging in midair, looking pretty impressive. On the second page was a picture of the Master being led away in handcuffs. The headline read RUTHLESS BUSSINESSMAN'S RUMOR PROVEN TRUE. When I saw a picture of me, with the usual missing person caption, I quickly threw it away. I didn't want reminders. Maybe one day I could talk to Castle and Beckett again. Tell them that I will testify.

The ride was uncomfortable, the seats not exactly serving as the best bed. At one point, Grover's fake foot fell off while he was sleeping and we all had to rush to get it back on.

Eventually, while all of the mortals were sleeping on the first night, we were able to talk about our dreams. Our meaning Percy had a dream too, but his wasn't as good as mine. He went first, telling us that someone in a pit was trying to rise. Annabeth tried to reassure him that it was most likely just Hades, but she didn't sound so sure. She seemed nervous about what it could mean, along with Grover.

After a second of silence, they turned to me, their looks questioning.

"My father met up with me." I said emotionlessly.

Their eyes widened. "What did he say?" Grover asked.

"Basically, get the bolt from Percy." Then I went into more detail, before. . .

"Wait a minute! I forgot! In my dream, he gave me a hairpin and said it was an early birthday present. Told me to have Annabeth train me."

"Do you have it?" Percy asked excitedly.

I was about to shake my head, when I felt it. Something in my pocket. I dug a hand in, and closed it around something. Pulling it out, I found a small pin with a lightning bolt on it, just like in the dream. It was an impressive little thing with silver lining the bronze bolt.

"Wow. What do you think he meant by me teaching you to use it?" Annabeth wondered.

I shrugged before getting a good idea. I turned into the aisle and put both hands around it. To all of our surprise, it grew into a marvelous sword made of celestial bronze. It felt right, balanced in my hands perfectly. I heard a door slide open down the train. I imagined it was a pin again, and it shrunk.

"Whoa." Percy managed.

"Whoa." I agreed. "I think I know what he meant by having Annabeth teaching me."

They nodded. "When we get to Denver and find a quiet spot, we can start." Annabeth promised.

After we slept that night, we ended up in St. Louis sometime the next day. I woke up just as we hit the next station. Of course, we had Annabeth with us and she practically demanded that we went to the Gateway Arch. I didn't mind. I mean, we had to wait the next three hours anyway for our train, so we just went along with her.

This time, we were more cautious as we waited in line as we kept going through the underground museum. Grover told us that he couldn't smell anything out of the ordinary, but being underground didn't help.

"Guys?" Percy asked. "You know the gods' symbols of power?"

"Yeah?" I asked. Annabeth listened to us and stopped spewing out facts.

"Well, Hade-"

Grover cleared his throat. "We're in a public place. . . . You mean, our friend downstairs?"

I snorted into my sleeve.

"Um, right. Our friend _way_ downstairs. Doesn't he have a hat like Annabeth's?"

"You mean the Helm of Darkness," Annabeth said. "Yeah, that's his symbol of power. I saw it next to his seat during the winter solstice council meeting."

"He was there?" Percy asked.

She nodded, explaining it in more detail. I have to admit, it's a bit creepy how he can creep on anyone, and no one would ever see him.

I was relieved when we finally got up higher, although the elevator ride was a bit uncomfortable. The max was five people, so there was a big woman who rode with us. She immediately drew my attention because she had a dog (a Chihuahua to be exact), and I was sure she isn't blind. Weird.

"No parents?" she asked us.

Annabeth answered for us, like usual. Not that I minded. She was good at thinking up stuff quickly. "They're below. Scared of heights."

"Oh, the poor darlings." The Chihuahua growled. "Now, now, sonny. Behave."

Percy said, "Sonny. Is that his name?"

"No." She smiled, like that cleared it all up. Creepy.

At the top of the Arch I couldn't help but grin. I guess it's because I'm in my home turf, but whatever the reason, I felt refreshed. Unfortunately for Percy, he didn't feel the same way. He got lucky though, because the park ranger told us that the observation deck was closing in a few minutes.

Percy dragged us toward the exit and was about to let me go in when we realized there was no room for us because three other people were already in there.

"We'll get out," Annabeth said. "We'll wait with you guys."

We shared a look. "Naw. Phoenix and I will be fine. We'll see you at the bottom."

The door shut, and we were left with a family of three, the park ranger, and the creepy fat lady.

I saw Percy smile uneasily at the lady, who smiled back, her forked tongue flickering between her teeth.

Wait, what?

I looked at Perce, wondering if I seriously just saw that. That was when that little dog jumped down and started yapping at us.

"Now, now, sonny," the lady said. "Does this look like a good time? We have all these nice people here."

"Doggie! Look, a doggie!" the little boy said. His parents pulled him back.

The Chihuahua bared his teeth, foam dripping from his black lips.

"Well, son," the fat lady sighed. "If you insist."

Percy started to pale. "Um, did you just call that Chihuahua you son?"

Oh no.

"_Chimera_, dear," the fat lady corrected. My hopes that she was human fell. "Not a Chihuahua. It's an easy mistake to make."

She rolled up her denim sleeves, revealing that the skin of her arms was scaly and green. When she smiled, I saw that her teeth were fangs. The pupils of her eyes were sideways slits, like a reptile's. The Chihuahua barked louder, and with each bark, it grew. First to the size of a Doberman. Then to a lion. The bark became a roar.

Soon, it was a huge monster, the mortals cowering away.

Percy uncapped Riptide, and I unclipped the lightning bolt pin from my hair, letting it grow.

Chimera roared, and we froze, knowing it would lunge if we moved even an inch.

The snake lady spoke once again. "Be honored, Percy Jackson. Lord Zeus rarely allows me to test a hero with one of my brood."

My blood ran cold. I didn't hear the rest of it. Lord Zeus, my own father, was trying to kill my best friend.

Percy leaned closer in. "Mortals. Get them out." He muttered under his breath.

I managed a nod. Percy charged while I ran to the others. They glanced at me in fright.

"I won't hurt you, but that monster will." I pressed the up button repeatedly. When it finally reached the top, I pushed everyone in and hit the down button. I turned around just in time to see the Chimera burn a gaping hole in the side of the Arch. Oops.

I watched, terrified, as Percy was bit by the monster's poisonous tail. I cried out, but once again my voice failed me.

"They don't make heroes like they used to, eh, son?"

Percy glanced at me.

"If you are the son of Poseidon, you would not fear water. Jump, Percy Jackson. Show me that water will not harm you. Jump and retrieve your sword. Prove your bloodline."

I gave him a look. "Jump. Trust me." I mouthed. I may not have known about the gods long, but I knew the water would save him.

He was still undecided while Echidna told him more about faith in the gods. "Die, faithless one," Echidna rasped. Then the Chimera sent flames flying at his face.

I screamed, "GO!" I saw him plummet towards the water, flaming.

"Poseidon, I know you probably don't like me, but please save your son." I prayed. Then the duo turned to me.

"No!" Echidna yelled. But she couldn't stop her son. Its tail whipped out and bit my arm before I could even lift up my sword, which flew across the ground.

I watched as the monster loomed closer, its eyes looking at me hungrily. I had no weapon. No means of fighting it off. It showed no mercy, and it delivered the final blow . . .

That never reached me. Echidna clipped on a leash before giving the Chimera a good thwack on the head. "You idiot! He said to not hurt that one, or _we'll_ hurt! We have to get out of here before Lord Zeus finds out." They tried leaving, but they almost couldn't. Like something didn't want them to.

I collapsed and crawled to my sword. I was a few feet away when I heard something either leave or come. Grasping the sword, I shrunk it, realizing it wouldn't help me now. I was untrained and weak. A few seconds later, I heard two monsters disintegrate.

The world started to get foggy. My breathing slowed, and I closed my eyes, accepting my fate.

"Phoenix?" Someone shook my shoulder, but I couldn't find the strength to see who.

"Stay with me, okay? You can't die. I- I just found you again."

I knew that voice. I finally got my eyes to flutter open for just a second, and I saw my father looming over me, looking worried.

That was it for my energy level. As I fell unconscious, I heard him scream, "NOOOO!"


	5. I Meet Mr Sunshine

Chapter 5

Phoenix's POV

As I woke up, I was instantly aware of a throbbing in my arm. Throbbing doesn't even begin to describe it, actually. It really, really hurt. A lot.

The next thing I realized was that this bed was really comfortable and warm. And the pillow was absolutely perfect. Not cold ground, rough tree, or uncomfortable train seat. An actual bed. The urge to just fall back asleep was great, but I managed to open my eyes and slowly sit up.

The room was sky blue with white trim. A flat screen TV sat on a white dresser with nine drawers, three small ones on the top and four big ones making a square on the bottom, on the wall farthest to my left. To the far right wall of my bed was a door that I assumed led to the closet. On the same wall on the left next to my headboard was a window with a nice seat and more blue pillows. Finally, there was a door that I could see diagonally from my spot.

Which opened a few seconds later. A man came in. I could only describe him as bright. He had sandy blonde hair that differed from mine because it was lighter, and his blue eyes didn't have the spark in it, more of a brightness. But otherwise, we actually resembled each other a lot.

"Ah. You're awake, finally. It took you long enough." He pointed to my arm that still burned. "Do you mind if I look?"

I shrugged, running through the list of Greek Gods in my head.

As he worked on my arm, I asked, "Aren't you-"

"Apollo, god of medicine, prophecies, music, and the sun? Yep."

I found myself liking him, knowing he had a fun personality. He gave my wound a look, then wrapped it up in clean gauze.

"What day is it?"

"You were out for a two days, so today is the 15th. 12:00 Noon."

I figured as much. There was silence for a few moments as he let me think.

"Well, you will probably have a scar."

"I figured, from the way it hurts right now." I winced as he finished wrapping it.

"Here." Apollo handed me a small block of something. "Eat it. It's called ambrosia, and a little of it will help your wound heal up faster. Not too much though. That would be bad."

I had already eaten the square, licking my lips. Yum.

He was grabbing the old gauze and cleaning up when I was done. "Apollo, where am I?"

Said god stopped to look at me. He paused before saying, "Our Father's palace on Olympus."

My eyes widened. "Oh."

He rolled his eyes. "Yes, oh. Zeus won't be able to see you unless he sneaks out of a meeting in the next hour, which he probably will, now that I think of it."

"Why? I'm just me, Phoenix Skywalker, a random demigod who happens to be his child."

He gaped at me. "You don't know?" Apollo continued, seeing my confused expression. "You see, you're wrapped around his finger now. He never would've saved any single one of his past demigod children like he did you. For some reason, you're _his_ daughter. He refuses to let Hera call you anything else, not mistake, misfit, or anything. Why, I couldn't tell you, but just remember that."

It was my turn to gape now. "Half-sis, just don't ever forget that even though he might not show it, our father loves you very much."

I snapped out of my amazement. "Okay, _half-bro_."

Apollo grinned, getting my sarcasm. "I have to go before someone, namely Hera, figures out why I'm here. Here's a map of the palace. I'm sure you are super hungry, so head to the kitchen. Once there, all you have to do is grab a plate and imagine whatever you want on it."

I nodded and we parted ways. Standing up and making sure my pin was tucking my bangs back (I found it on the dresser), I headed to the closet and found more clothes that one person could ever need. It took forever, but I finally found a regular cotton shirt and denim shorts with some black and blue tennis shoes to go with it.

After getting lost numerous times, I found the kitchen. I grabbed a plate and thought of some chocolate chip pancakes with extra syrup. Okay, so maybe not the healthiest choice, but they were yummy anyways.

Soon I headed back to my room, laid on the bed, and turned on the TV. At first, I couldn't even figure it out. The channels were practically unlimited, probably over a million in just cable. Eventually I found a crime show that I'd always sneak in to watch when the Master wasn't looking, contentedly watching the marathon.

Of course, true to Apollo's word, there was a knock at my door about an hour later.

"Come in." My father entered, looking a bit relieved. "Hi there."

He nodded and awkwardly asked, "How's your arm?"

I shrugged. It still hurt quite a bit, but not as bad as before the ambrosia. "Okay. Hurts lots, but otherwise its good." Awkward silence. Then I thought back to what Apollo said to me before. "I'm guessing Hera wants to kill me?"

"Apollo?" He asked. At my nod, he went on. "To put it simply, yes."

"Does she know I'm in your palace?"

My father winced and went by the window, sitting tensely. "Well, no. She'll cool down though, I believe. After she realizes you won't be here too long."

I felt a bit disappointed. "I won't?"

"It will be too dangerous, especially if Poseidon's boy doesn't bring me back my bolt. You will go to Camp Half-Blood as soon as the summer solstice deadline is done. If Perseus succeeds, I'll let him bring you with him when he goes back."

"He will. I'm assuming he survived the fall then?" Just hearing that made a huge weight life from my shoulders.

"Unfortunately."

I glared at him.

"I don't understand why you're are friends with that boy, Daughter. I don't trust him." My father replied in response to my anger.

"I do. With my life."

He stood up while looking at his watch, apparently not wanting to fight me right now. "I have to go. I should be back around ten tonight. Okay?"

I nodded. He was halfway out the door when he turned and said, "Phoenix, I'm sorry you got hurt. You were never meant to."

"I forgive you . . . Father." I swear I saw him grin as he left.

Afterwards, I couldn't really concentrate on the TV. Why did he care so much? I don't think my father apologizes to _anyone_. So why me? What makes me so special? The unanswered questions were going to kill me while I was here.

I sighed and just emptied my mind. For now, I would watch this marathon. Later I could worry about everything else. I'm here to heal, and worrying about that isn't helping anything.

So I watched some episodes in peace, only stopping at around six thirty to eat some sweet swine (A/N: Pineapple and Canadian bacon if you don't live in Iowa. (: ) pizza. I was really beginning to like the food here. It was delicious! The cheese melted in your mouth, and it wasn't really greasy, but greasy enough to taste amazing. Percy would've approved of it. That I know. My eyebrows creased as I thought of him, along with the rest of my friends. I would send them a IM later. That was for sure.

So I ate and headed back to my room. On an end table, I found a word search, so I did that as I watched a few more episodes. At eight, I was ready to dive into the closet again for some pajamas, but luckily, they were in one of the dresser drawers.

It was a little bit after that when I fell asleep with the TV on and the lights off, my lack of sleep lately catching up to me. I could get used to this, I thought. But I knew I couldn't ever feel at home here. Only when I knew my friends would be safe would I feel okay with this.

Zeus's POV

I walked into my home entirely exhausted. I was screamed at today for breaking the Oath by too many gods to count, my bolt was still gone, and my daughter, who isn't supposed to exist anymore anyways, is sleeping in my palace. So, basically a normal day.

I headed to my room, opening the door and throwing my briefcase on the bed. Hera didn't take Phoenix staying in my home for a few days too well. She refuses to stay with me right now, and told me that she wouldn't come back until Phoenix was gone.

I turned to the door that led to the room across the hall from mine. I knocked softly, pausing. No response, only a TV playing. Making sure to open the door just a crack, I checked inside. Grinning slightly, I opened it further. Phoenix was sleeping, a word search and pen lying next to her. A crime show was playing on the TV, although even the gunshots didn't wake the girl up.

I closed the door gently behind me. First I grabbed the puzzle book and pen, throwing it on the bedside table. Next, I took the pin out of her hair, making sure not to pull it. It went beside the pen. After making sure the blanket was tucked securely around her, I turned off the TV and headed out the door.

"Night."

I almost jumped at her voice. Almost.

"Night, Phoenix." I muttered gruffly. And with that I shut the door and headed off to my own room. Sleep came quickly, and soon I was unconscious.


	6. A Good Book Does Wonders for the Soul

Chapter 6

Phoenix's POV

I woke up at 8 the next morning, ready to train. Unfortunately, my hopes were crushed when I looked at my bedside stand. On it was a note.

_Phoenix, _

_I don't know how good you are at reading Greek yet, so I'll just write this in English. Sorry in advance for the cursive. Apollo will come to make sure your arm is healing right at noon, so be expecting him. I'll be there at around one this afternoon to check up on you. Also, NO training. It will reopen the wound on your arm, and it will take twice as long to heal. And, do not leave the palace. I don't care what the reason is, don't leave. Unless I tell you to. That's it._

_Your father,_

_Zeus_

Well, he basically put the kibosh on my plans for today. Great. Maybe when he comes later I can get him to at least let me go to a library. That's all I want, a good book to read.

I took a shower, got dressed, ate some breakfast, and just started to roam around my temporary home. There were tons of rooms I hadn't even noticed before. Like, the living room. It was comfy in there, with a huge flat screen. The best part was the windows that lined the whole left side. I could see a beautiful garden out there; I had to leave quickly before I wanted to defy my father, not that I already didn't want to.

I was heading back to my room when I noticed it. I never had before. The room across from mine was my father's.

And even though I knew it was a bad idea, I might have slipped in. It was beautiful, with clouds decorating the whole room. The best part was that said clouds actual moved, so it looked like I was actually flying. It was amazing.

I looked around his perfectly cleaned room. The thing that caught my eyes had obviously just been taken out a little while ago. It was sitting on the stand next to his bed: an old photograph. I recognized me as a child almost immediately. It must have been taken when I was two, because it definitely wasn't in the Master's house. I was in a room and smiling at a camera with absolute happiness. How did he get this? Why is it out?

Guessing that I should probably leave, I took one final look at the picture before I went out the door. I headed back to the living room to relax and look through the window once again. A few minutes after I sat down, Apollo walked in.

He looked as happy as the last time I'd seen him, if not more so. "Hey Half-sis!"

I gave a wave, focusing on the window.

"Tired of staying in the house?" he asked, giving my arm a once over and rewrapping it.

"One more minute and I might explode."

Apollo grinned. "I'm afraid I can't help you there. I do have some good news though. Your arm is practically healed, so you should be able to start some light training tomorrow."

I grinned widely. "That's great! Then I'll at least have that to do."

He looked me straight in the eyes. "I said light for a reason. No more than a half hour every two hours. Got it?"

My mood didn't falter. "Got it."

"Alright. See you later."

After my 'doctor' left, I went into the kitchen and ate a cheeseburger with fries. With how fast I ate it, even Percy would look like a saint. I cleaned up and headed back into the living room to look out the window.

It seemed so . . . happy. The huge garden was filled with beautiful flowers, willow trees, and small ponds. I think I saw a small hedge maze a little ways in the distance.

The door opened and I heard someone come in. I didn't bother looking away, knowing it was one in the afternoon.

"What's the verdict on your arm?"

I shrugged. "He said I could start training tomorrow. Light training of course. A half hour every two hours."

I turned and decided to drop it on him.

"What?" he was already suspicious of my expression.

"I know you said that I couldn't go anywhere, but-"

"You didn't, did you?" he interrupted.

"No! But I really wouldn't mind a book at the library. . ."

My father sighed, rubbing his temples. "Why do I have a feeling you will go no matter what?" I smiled innocently. "Oh, fine. But straight there and back. No talking, no exploring. Understood?"

I grinned happily. "Understood."

He gave me one long look. "I have to go. I'll be back at the same time as last night."

"Um, where's the library?"

He winced. "Oh. It's on the way to the throne room, so I'll take you there. Just remember what way we go."

"Okay."

We set off, and, as promised, I didn't talk nor explore. I did gape though. Even the halls were exquisite, crafted in marble with absolute care. Everything was cleaned to perfection, looking its best. Soon, we reached a huge set of double doors and stopped.

My father gave me a look. "One book and straight back. I'll open you an account later, but for now, just check it out in my name."

"I'm warning you, only one won't last long."

He had already started walking away. "One and back." He told me behind his shoulder.

I sighed and rolled my eyes. Then I looked at the doors, slightly nervous. Praying that I didn't see any gods, I walked in.

And gaped.

This place was HUGE! The room itself was about the size of a large football field, and the shelves reached up, like a five story building. Finally, a skylight on the high ceilings let in some natural light.

"Wow." I muttered. I shook myself out of my awe and started wandering. Finding the author I wanted was going to take a while, I was sure of it.

"Need some help?"

I spun around in surprise. The speaker had blond hair and grey eyes that looked like they have seen millions of textbooks over thousands of years. Also, she was beautiful to say the least. Like . . . oh.

"You're Annabeth's mom. Athena, goddess of wisdom."

She smiled, although surprised. "You're pretty smart for a daughter of Zeus, Phoenix."

"Thanks. Um, how do you know my name?"

Athena's smile fell a bit. "Olympus is freaking out about the fact you're here. A few people actually probably want to kill you."

"Oh. That's nice of them." I froze. "Are you one of those people?"

She laughed softly. "No. You're safe with me." A pause. "Not everyone wants to kill you. Like Apollo. He's always talking about having a new partner in crime, which made Hermes pretty excited."

"Partner in crime?"

"For their pranks. They seem to think you might like to help."

I smirked. "Maybe some time. For now though I just want to find a book."

"Like some help?"

"Do you have James Patterson books?"

Athena motioned for me to follow her. Soon we were at a shelf. "Any idea what book you want?"

I thought for a second. "I heard _The Angel Experiment _is pretty good, so let's go with that." The book was soon in my hands. "Thanks so much, Athena."

"Anytime."

She led me to the checkout desk and helped me out before I thanked her and waved farewell. It was almost two, and I had to go home.

So I headed off. Now, I won't lie. I got lost a few times, and at some point, I saw these really big doors. I left from there pretty quick, mostly because I heard two people, my father and someone else, arguing. Since it was in really fast Ancient Greek, I couldn't make much of it out, but I did catch the words Phoenix, bolt, Oath, Percy, daughter, and son as I sped walked away.

I allowed myself to wonder about that as I sat back down in the living room, safely back in the palace. Assuming that the other man was Poseidon, obviously they were still going at it. If only he would believe me when I say that Percy wouldn't do something like that. I sighed.

Soon, I felt a headache come on. "Alright, stop thinking about that, Phoenix. Just lose yourself in the book." I told myself. And lose myself in the book I did. I barely even remembered to stop to grab a simple ham sandwich.

Of course, it was done by 8:00. I told him that it wouldn't last me long. I turned on the TV and just flicked from one channel to another.

No. Uh-uh. Gross. Why would you even do that? Maybe. Finally, something that I like! It was another crime show; just my style.

I watched both episodes, grabbing some popcorn during a commercial when I got about halfway through the second one.

Father came home about ten minutes before the last one ended.

"Hey." I said through some popcorn.

He nodded, looking annoyed. "What, you're not reading the book you begged to get?"

"I'm done with it."

"Wait, what?" he asked. His expression was priceless.

"I told you it wouldn't last that long. I wasn't kidding."

"Really. Well, I talked to Athena, and she'll open an account for you tomorrow. You can go and return that then, and this time I'll raise the limit to three."

"That works." I finished up the popcorn.

"Speaking of Athena, what did I say about talking to other gods?"

Oh. I hadn't thought about that after she was pretty decent to me. "You said not to. But!" he raised an eyebrow at that. "She talked to me first, and she was pretty nice to me."

Zeus rubbed his temples. Hmm, he does that a lot, doesn't he?

"Okay. I'll give you that. But try to avoid anyone else."

Grinning, I say, "Deal."

"Good. Now get some sleep."

No use arguing. I switched off the TV, put the bowl in the sink, and headed off.

"Night!" I yelled from my room.

"Night."

It wasn't until I laid down when I realized it. Today was the 17th. In almost four days, Percy would either help out his father, or guarantee World War III. That night, sleep came slow.


	7. Somebody was Drinking Hatorade

Chapter 7

Phoenix's POV

The next morning I woke up early. It was seven A.M., and I was sure that it was too early. But my mind screamed right back, "No it's not! Get up!"

So I ended up in the kitchen, still in my PJs, drinking a cappuccino. My father walked in at around 7:30; seeing my tired expression, he looked a bit worried.

"Are you okay?"

"Yeah. Just," I yawned, "tired. But since my body insists on keeping awake, here I am." I took another sip of the drink, hoping the caffeine would wake me up.

"Okay." He replied warily. "Well, I'll come home at one to show you what you can do to train. I think you'll need it if that boy won't come back soon with my bolt."

I was surprised that he cared that much. Then I remembered Apollo's words when we first met. _For some reason, you're his daughter. He refuses to let Hera call you anything else, not mistake, misfit, or anything._

I really wanted to ask him why I was so important, but I didn't dare. I didn't believe in myself not to mess it up so much that he would disown me as his daughter.

"Perce will. I know it."

He sighed. "I still don't think so. Anyways, I have to go. Be back at one. No training until then, and you can only go to the library once."

"Okay. See ya."

"Oh, and try to get some more sleep." He told me over his shoulder as he went out the door.

"No promises." I muttered.

After finishing my drink, I decided to shower and get dressed. I made sure the water was warm, and it felt nice on my tense muscles. Almost, dare I say it, relaxing. I'm still not a water lover, but hey, I'll keep an open mind.

Next, I just wandered around the house, watched a bit of TV, and ate at noon.

I dressed simply and grabbed the book and headed to the library. This time I hardly got lost, and I was there by 12:45. Athena greeted me as soon as I crossed the threshold.

"Done already?"

I grinned. "I told him that it wouldn't last long. Now I need the next three books in the series."

"Alright. Meet you at the counter."

By the time I got to the counter, Athena was just getting there.

"Did your father get you an account?"

I nodded, checking them out and returning my first one. "Cool. Thanks, Athena."

"Anytime." Her warm smile faltered, her warm eyes lighting up in remembrance. "Why don't I walk you home? Lately in meetings, Kelp Head has been storming out when he's angry. Poseidon has been taking walks around Olympus, and if he ran into you . . . It just wouldn't be pleasant."

I shook my head after I got who Kelp Head was. "Don't worry. I'll be fine, and I can run home if it would make a difference. It's not too far, and I can always yell if I need too. That, and my father is meeting me at one, so he'll be there."

She reluctantly agreed as we parted ways once again. As promised, I did speed walk as I headed home. Not run, because that would draw too much attention. But speed walk.

I was just about to turn the corner when I heard heavy footsteps echoing me. Crap. Sure enough, a guy in a Hawaiian shirt strolled around a different corner in front of me and stopped dead in his tracks. I didn't realize almost all demigods took some of their godly parent's looks until now.

The man had sea green eyes and jet black hair, like Percy's. He was tan, the wrinkles on his face indicating that he smiled a lot. Unfortunately, that wasn't now. Poseidon, at least, I think that's who it is, was angry looking and had an aura of power about him different from my father's.

I thought of the bright idea to keep my head down and try to walk past him like I was nobody, but it didn't work.

"You're that daughter of Zeus, aren't you?"

I sighed and faced him.

"Yes. And I'm assuming you're Lord Poseidon, Percy's father?"

Being polite was my best bet. Sadly, his look didn't change.

"Yes. I am. You know, I should kill you right now. It would save me a lot of trouble." He glared at me menacingly.

I gulped, taking a step back and leaning on the wall. "Please tell me there is a but."

Shrugging, he said, "But you're drama king of a father is grumbling about how you agree with me, fighting for Percy. Is that true?"

"Of course!" I said truthfully. "Perce is the closest friend I got, and I trust him with my life. Just from being around him for a few days, I can tell that he doesn't have the bolt, or would even do something like this."

"That I can agree with. But understand this, child." A trident appeared in his hand. "Keep in mind that if Zeus kills Percy, as I know he's planning, I kill you. And you can tell him that." He took a threatening step toward me, the trident glinting in the light. I was paralyzed in fear.

"Poseidon! Get away from her!" my father ran towards us, glaring at the sea god and looking like he wanted to commit murder.

Poseidon scowled at him but put away his weapon before turning to me. "Remember what I said." Then he left.

My father kept his gaze locked with the on the god until he was gone from his point of view. "Are you okay? If he did something to you, I swear-"

"No, I'm fine. Just shook up. How did you find us?"

He tapped his watch. "I told you one at the dot. When you weren't in your room, I retraced your steps to the library, thinking that you were on your way home. What are you supposed to remember?"

I retold him of our conversation, making it sound less dangerous. "He told me to tell you that if you kill Percy, he kills me."

His eyes were a stormy grey; I hadn't seen electric blue since our dream conversation. I think it's because when he's angry, or at least thinking troubling thoughts, they turn that color. He mumbled some stuff in Ancient Greek under his breath that I didn't catch.

"Come on, Phoenix. Let's go home."

I nodded and walked towards the palace, trying to relax. I fidgeted constantly, adrenaline still coursing through my veins. Realizing that these were the fighting reflexes Annabeth told me about ADHD, I knew that there was hope for me as a fighter yet. At least something good came out of this.

Soon we were home, although my father still looked troubled. "Maybe we should wait for your training."

I shook my head fiercely. I'd been looking forward to it all day. "I'll be fine. I swear!"

He gave me a look over. I straightened and tried to look completely unaffected, tried to make my fear disappear.

"Alright." he finally agreed.

I grinned and followed him to a room with dummies standing up in a corner.

"We'll start easy. Shock me."

I stared at him. "Seriously?"

He rolled his eyes. "I wouldn't have suggested it if I wasn't. Come on. Hit me."

I closed my eyes, remembering the feeling of the electricity coursing through my veins. My eyes snapped open as I reached out a hand. Lightning forked towards Zeus, who caught it with a flick of his wrists. It transformed into a ball in his weathered hand while he looked it over.

"Nice. This could kill a small human. How do you feel?"

"Not as tired as the first time I did. Why?"

He smiled as the electricity in his hand disappeared. "Think of your powers as water in a large bowl. Each time you use it, the water disappears, like it evaporated, until you rest up. Now. Every time you use them, you can use more without the water disappearing as much. So, the first time, it went away almost completely. This time, you didn't need to use as much because your body is more adapt to saving up."

I nodded. "Okay. I think I got it."

"Short version: The more you practice, the more you can do at once. Got it?" I nodded alright. "Alright. Again."

The electricity was still coursing through me, so I didn't have to do the first part again. This time I just gathered it up and the bolt was larger, looking scary as it headed towards my father. His brow actually creased when he had to catch it, so I knew it was stronger.

I sat down, drained, as he measured the larger ball. The 'water' had completely evaporated, and I was as tired as the first time I had used it back in Medusa's lair.

He looked at me. "Are you okay?"

I nodded. "Well?"

"This could kill somewhat strong monsters or a human in their 30's."

It was almost scary that I had the power, strong enough to kill someone older than me. I couldn't possibly be responsible enough for that sort of power. Zeus walked towards me, but instead of making the ball disappear, he gently held out his hand and kneeled in front of me.

"Okay, second thing you can work on. Absorbing back the energy. If this isn't mastered, then when you touch something that still has the electricity in it, it will stick to you. Anyone who touches you would get a very unpleasant surprise."

I glanced at it cautiously. "Why won't it do it to me now then?"

"I'll hold it back so it won't go back too fast for you. Now, close your eyes." I did, relaxing my tense muscles. "Touch it, and imagine that it goes back into that bowl of water. Don't rush it. Just let it flow in."

His voice was quiet and reassuring. I touched the ball, retracting slightly when I first felt it. It was a weird feeling, for lack of a better word. Tingly, energizing, and definitely weird.

I touched it again, imagining that it was coming back to me. I felt stronger as I went on. Then, there was nothing. I opened my eyes to see my father smiling at me.

"Very good, Phoenix. You're getting the hang of this fast. Now, you can practice the first thing with the dummies, but wait until I'm around for the second one. If you try using your sword, make sure that you know what you're doing. Try to avoid hacking the dummies so you don't get used to something and find out you're doing it wrong."

"Okay. I'll be careful. I promise."

He gave me a small - but warm - smile as he straightened. "You better. I'll be back at eight. Don't overdo it."

"Cross my heart. See you."

He nodded, leaving me to my thoughts.

I stared at my hands. Nobody would have thought that I of all people had the potential to kill an adult. It was a scary thought, really. I was almost 12 years old. With everything going on lately, I almost forgot that my birthday was on the 27th, six days after the solstice. That's besides the point though. Being twelve and having the whole world on your shoulders was exhausting. I could see how Percy felt, even if he was almost a year older than me.

I sighed and stood, wishing that Percy would hurry it up on his quest. _Come on, Perce. You can do it . . . you have to._


	8. Summer Solstice Equals Boring!

A/N: Yep! I changed the name! You don't know what I changed it to yet, but, point is, I did. There you go, Jimanji! ;)

Chapter 8

Phoenix's POV

I headed to a comfy chair in the living room and started the next book. I waited for two hours as I read happily. Finally, it was 3:30. Heading into the training room once again, I almost backed out. It was a little scary, being here all alone. Meaning, if something goes wrong, I'm done for. Gulp.

I sighed and stood straighter, walking in the room. My eyes focused in on the dummy I was told to practice on. Alright. Here goes. My eyes closed, the electricity rolling through my veins. My arms snapped up, my eyes open, and let it all go. Lightning forked its way over to the dummy, encasing it with the crackling energy. Again, and again I did it. Until, finally, I gave it everything I had.

I watched as the final bolt finally disbanded into the floor as I fell on one knee. My head felt like someone was spinning it around on a pottery wheel. Yeah, ouch. The dizziness finally went away after a few seconds, to my relief. I still sat on the floor though, for good measure. Wow. That was a rush.

After a second, I sat up and went over to the meter installed in the dummy. After reading the voltage, I went over to the chart my father scribbled down. Holy crap. That would've killed any human in the world.

Shuddering and deciding that this was enough, I headed back to my room to ponder everything that had happened in my life. A few weeks ago, I was a timid slave girl. Now, I was a demigod. Strong. Hardly afraid of the unknown. I didn't even know I had it in me. But I remembered what Annabeth had said to me once. A demigod gets certain traits from their parents.

My father had a temper. Lately, as I found myself and who I was, I found myself pushing down my anger. I felt strong, too. Like I could lead an army of ten and go against one of a hundred and there would be no casualties. It was crazy. Nuts. But this pride came up and told me that I could. Yet, there was this other half, way stronger than the first, that said I _couldn't_ do it. I would fail. I will fail every single time. I wasn't pretty. I wasn't smart. I sucked.

That night I also thought of my friends. Imagined their adventures, how they would bring back the bolt. How they wouldn't forget me.

Wouldn't forget me. That was my worse fear at this point. What if they thought, "Meh. Just another ordinary demigod dying. No biggie." They were my only friends. Well, they were in my eyes. They most likely didn't find me as a friend. Probably that annoying rookie they had to have tag-along on their important mission.

It was a few months after this night when I was told that this was my flaw. Poor self-confidence. I didn't believe in myself. The exact opposite of most Zeus kids, I was told.

Anyways, my mind raced that night about other things too. Like why I was so important. I just didn't get it! My father obviously thought I was special, but I didn't know why. My best guess was that it was something from my childhood, but I already was clueless. The youngest I was at my house was two; that was a while ago. My memory wasn't that good, and even if it was, that was still too long for anyone to remember . . .

The more I thought, the more depressed I felt. I wanted to go home. Not the Master's; no. I mean my hometown, wherever that is. I wanted to see my mother, her face all but faded from my memory. I needed love. Someone to hold me, tell me I love you every night. The stuff on TV families, then again, this was no ordinary family.

I quick put on some pajamas before laying in my bed and staring at the ceiling once again. My feelings started to show themselves even more. But the thing that bubbled up the most was fear. Poseidon could drown me with the flick of his hand. Or he could vaporize me, or, or . . . the possibilities were endless.

As I drifted off that night, I found myself wishing my father was here to comfort me. It was stupid, I know. He was a god with no time for something like that. It was nuts to even begin to imagine it. I squished the feeling down as a single tear, one of fear and long suppressed feelings, slipped down my cheek. And then sweet darkness claimed me.

Now, I'd like to say I had this great bonding time with my father over the next few days. But I couldn't. He just checked up on me at the same time every day, training me for around fifteen minutes at one. I felt him almost distancing himself from me. I wondered why, but put it off, as usual.

My arm healed perfectly, although there was now a puckered pink scar. It didn't bother me though. I thought of it as a sign; the end of my old life, my beginning of a new one, just like my new name. One day, maybe I'd ask my father what my real last name was. He was bound to know. But I wasn't strong enough now, and my last name was unimportant. It was just a name. A name signifying what my life could've been, had I not been turned into a slave. No. I didn't need another thing to imagine the rest of my life, as my freedom once did.

Finally, it was the night before the twenty-first. I hardly slept at all. Maybe two or three hours, most. My father had forbidden talking about it at home, or even let me IM my friends to tell them I was alive. I found that out the night of my first training session. I could say nothing. And I hated every second of it. I felt like I was betraying them. But. I did help them in my own way. My father no longer sneered when he said Percy's name. Actually, he paused uncertainly before saying an insult, although, as I said before, he rarely spoke of him or his bolt. It was the best I could do, I guess.

I woke up at six AM on June twenty-first to my father shaking me urgently.

"Phoenix. Up. Now."

I sat up and yawned. Then I saw Poseidon standing in the doorway, glaring at me. My heart started pumping.

"He won't hurt you. Get dressed and meet us in the living room."

Nodding fearfully, I jumped out of bed and headed to my closet. I hurriedly put on a T-shirt and jean shorts, slipping on the tennis shoes on the way out. After brushing through my hair in two minutes flat (boys don't understand how hard it is to do that when your hair reaches the small of your back), I walked to the living room.

Poseidon was standing tensely in the doorway.

I nodded at him. "Lord Poseidon."

"Come on child."

He swept out of the room angrily. I looked to my father, who nodded. I followed the sea god out, my father pulling up the rear. We headed to the large doors I had seen on my first trip back from the library. Poseidon strode in importantly. I gulped before following him in after my father pushed me slightly.

I was met by quite the sight. Various council members were arguing amongst themselves, but they all quieted when I walked in. They were all taller, probably their godly height. Their thrones varied; the same thing was the fact they were each quite elegant in their own way.

My father brushed past me before growing and sitting at the throne in the middle of the U shape.

I recognized Apollo and Athena, but that was about it. I fidgeted slightly, watching the floor.

"Alright, I have brought her, Poseidon. Now what."

Poseidon glared at him. "She will sit. If you do anything to my son, then I will do something to her."

Almost immediately there were objections. "She could give important information to enemies!" a woman glared.

"Um, excuse me." I winced as everyone stared at me. "I could wear noise cancelling headphones. Oh, and read my book so I won't read any lips. And for reassurance, if you talk in fast Ancient Greek, I have trouble getting it. Only certain words."

The woman who first objected turned to a man who looked slightly disfigured and Athena. "Do you have something?"

The man reached into a bag of stuff near his throne, which was made of metal parts. Athena poofed up something for me. A girl who looked my age grabbed some headphones from the man, some books from Athena, and waved me towards her. I went over to her, where she stood by the hearth. She handed me the headphones. After I put them on, the girl motioned for me to sit on the floor. After I did, she handed me some books.

I nodded my thanks before looking down at the book and started reading. I don't even remember them arguing. The headphones were that good. No sound got through, at all. I just kept reading, like promised. Whenever I finished one book, another appeared in the pile after that one disappeared. I mouthed Athena a thank you for the first time, then looked straight back down.

The headphones were so great, I didn't even notice that the gods left to eat until the same girl poked me again. I looked up, and she motioned to take off the headphones. I did.

"Hello. Sorry I wasn't able to introduce myself earlier. My name's Hestia. Goddess of the hearth."

I almost had to lean in to hear her quiet voice.

"Hello, Hestia. I'm Phoenix. Um, where is everybody?"

She smiled and handed me a ham sandwich. "Eating. How's your books?"

"Great, thank you." I took a bite of my sandwich. "Hestia, how long do I have to stay here?"

She shrugged, frowning slightly. "Probably until the end of the solstice."

"Oh, and before I forget. Could I have a pen and notebook, so if I have to ask you something, I don't have to take off my headphones?" She nodded and disappeared in the hearth for a second before coming back a second later with my items.

A man walked in, a bit of a jump in his step. "Ah, Phoenix. I finally get the chance to meet you."

He had brown hair and eyes, with a messenger bag strung over his shoulder. Although, for me, it was his mischievous smile that gave it away.

"Hermes?" I asked uncertainly, remembering Athena's words.

"Athena is right, you are smart! Which is going to be great when you help Apollo and me with our pranks . . ." he trailed off.

I grinned. "Just find me if you need some help."

He put a fist in the air. "Yes! New partner!"

I laughed at his excited expression before he sit down. I finished my sandwich as other gods walked in. Hestia whispered their names to me as they walked by. Ares. Hades, who I had to resist the urge to shudder as he walked by, remembering my friends and my conversation at the Arch. Artemis. Dionysus, who I learned I will see a lot of at camp. Hephaestus. Aphrodite. Hera glared at me as she went past. Athena. Apollo. Finally, there was my father and Poseidon, who had obviously just finished arguing once again.

I took them being here as a sign to put my headphones back on and start reading. And I did for a while. But it was about two hours later that the small print got to my head and started aching. I lived with it for another hour before I couldn't stand it anymore. I wrote a note to Hestia, who got Apollo's attention. He slipped her some aspirin, to my relief. They were swallowed dry.

Even after that though, I couldn't bring myself to read anymore. So I just doodled. Practiced my cursive. You know, stuff like that. Even wrote bits of random plots I could write sometime; I hadn't realized how much I liked writing until then. I probably did that for three hours before that too got boring.

I sighed, relieved, when it was supper time a few minutes later.

"Hestia, please tell me this day is almost over. I'm getting really, really bored."

She just gave me an encouraging smile and a sandwich. This time I had a peanut butter and jelly with some water.

"Sorry, Phoenix. You'll still be here for a while yet. But maybe I can ask your father for a little something."

"Thanks Hestia. I know not many gods would do this for me at this point."

A small smile graced her lips. "Don't worry about it. You're a nice girl. I wouldn't have guessed you would have been your father's daughter."

I cocked my head to one side. "What do you mean?"

"No offense, but most children of Zeus aren't exactly the best people. Too sure of themselves, just like their father."

"Really." I muttered.

She let me finish the rest of my sandwich in silence, talking to me more about what Camp Half-Blood was like when I was done. Once I learned she was there often, tending to her hearth, I was a bit more comfortable with going there. With people I know there, it will be really nice.

The gods started to filter in once again, although this time my father was the first to walk in, obviously having rushed through his food to see me.

"Sister." He waved Hestia a few yards away, where they had a whispered conversation.

I assumed part of it was Hestia asking about something quiet I could do. A small player was pressed in my hands by Hephaestus when he walked in a second later. He gruffly showed me how to connect my headphones to it, and how to program it to let me watch some TV shows. I knew that it was very high tech, something available only on Olympus, like the flat screen TVs.

To my surprise, a second later, my eyes slid shut. I fell asleep to gods arguing soundlessly, gunshots from a crime show in my ears, and the hard marble beam I was laying against digging into my side . . .


End file.
